Multiple article holder



Feb. 2g, S C. SOVA MULTIPLE ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Aug. ll, 1958 f 5&1

MULTIPLE ARTICLE HOLDER Clarence Sova, 7291/2 Pierre Ave., Windsor, Onmrio, Canada Filed Aug. 11, 1953, Ser. No. 754,420

4 Claims. (Cl. 2ML-39) This invention relates to article holders and, in particular, to releasable article holders for articles such as neckties, towels, dishcloths, pot holders, stockings and the like.

One object of this invention is to provide a multiple article holder which is composed of a plurality of individual holders capable of being mounted in assembly side by side in a mounting plate or of being mounted individually and singly in any desired location without the use of the mounting plate.

Another object is to provide a multiple article holder of the foregoing character wherein the mounting plate may include broad or narrow article holders or a mixture of broad `and narrow article holders.

Another object is to provide a multiple article holder of the foregoing character wherein the mounting plate has additional space for advertising, for a mirror or for other purposes, as well as having a slideway into which the individual article holders may be inserted side by side.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front elevation of the multiple article holder according to one form of the invention, partly in section along the line 1 1 in Figure 3;

Figure 2 is a right-hand side elevation of the article holder shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a front elevation of a modification of the invention, partly in section along the line 4-4 in Figure 5; and

Figure 5 is a right-hand side elevation of the article holder shown in Figure 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, Figures l to 3 inclusive, show a multiple article holder, generally designated 10, according to one form of the invention as consisting generally of a push button article holder support, generally designated 12 (Figure 2), into which are slid a plurality of individual push button article holders, generally designated 14, and which also optionally carries a display holder 16 for advertising matter or the like. The holder support 12 is in the form of an elongated plate 18 of sheet plastic or other suitable material having upper and lower parallel spacing strips 20 and 22 (Figure 3) cemented or otherwise secured thereto, these in turn having an upper retaining or guide plate 24 and a lower retaining or guide strip 26, these also being cemented or otherwise secured thereto. it will also be evident that the support 12 could be produced in one piece by plastic injection molding, the result in either case being to provide an article holder support 12 with upper and lower parallel guide grooves 28 and Sil therein.

Secured to the upper and lower edge portions of the plate 24 are parallel grooved upper and lower retaining strips 32 and 34 (Figure 3) cemented or otherwise secured thereto and likewise preferably of sheet plastic material, thereby providing upper and lower receiving CII Patented Feb. 28, 1961 grooves 36 and 38 into which an elongated parallel-edged display plate 40 is slid. The display plate 40 may consist of an advertising poster, memo card, calendar card, shopping list card, mirror or other useful article in plate norm. The grooved arrangement enables the plate 40 to be changed easily whenever it is desired to do so. The display holder 16 and the article holder support 12 are drilled in alignment as at 42 and 44 (Figure 3) for the reception of screws or other fasteners 46 by which the device lil is secured to a wall W or other vertical 'supporting surface or structure. l

Slidably inserted in the upper and lower grooves 28 and 39 of the holder support 12 is the back plate 48 'of each individual push button article holder 14 (Figure 3). The individual article holders 14 are preferably of the same mechanical construction but may diller somewhat in width between themselves in order to accommodate articles of different widths. Because of their similarity of mechanical construction and arrangement, however, a single description will suice for all. Cemented or otherwise secured to and projecting outwardly from the back plate 48 are a top plate 53 and parallel side plates 52 (Figure l), thereby forming an open-bottomed box-like housing structure, generally designated 54, having a front wall or abutment plate S6 cemented or otherwise secured to the forward ends of the top and side walls Sil and 52 and bored rectangularly as at 58 (Figure 3) for the passage of a push button element 60 of rectangular cross-section and terminating in a plunger 62 of circular crosssection, and of slightly greater diameter than the vertical thickness of the push button 60 so as to provide a shoulder 64 therebetween. Mounted on the push button 6i) Arearwardly of the front wall 56 of the box-like housing structure 54 against the shoulder 64 is a pressure plate 66 similarly bored as at 68 for the passage of the push button 60 and cemented or otherwise secured in its place. The assembly of the push button 60, pressure plate 66 and plunger 62 constitutes an article holding clamp, generally designated 70. The rearward end of the plunger 62 is reciprocably guided by a guide bore 71 in a guide wall 72 secured within the housing structure 54 between the front wall 56 and the back plate 48.

The guide wall 72 constitutes the forward wall of an internally-mounted plastic plunger guide structure, generally designated '74 (Figures 2 and 3) having an upper strip 76, parallel side plates 7?, and intermediate and lower plastic strips 8@ and 82 respectively cemented to each other. The lower strip 82 is shorter than the intermediate strip 8) and has its opposite ends cemented to and between the side plates 78. The opposite ends of the intermediate strip 80, on the other hand, serve as detent ends and project into detent notches 84 in the rearward vertical edge 86 of three-sided cutaway portions 88 in the side walls 52 of the housing structure 54. This construction enables the plunger guide structure to be easily inserted and removed from the rearward end of the housing structure 54 merely by pulling it forward until the ends or" the intermediate strip Si) come out of the notches $4, whereupon it can be pulled downward for disassembly, particularly if the button 64B has been pushed rearwardly until its forward end is clear of the rearward end of the hole 58 in the front wall 46. A compression spring 90 coiled around the plunger 62 and disposed between the guide wall 72 and the pressure plate 66 urges the articleholding clamp 70 in a forward direction so as to compress the upper end of an article A, such as a dish cloth or pot holder, between the pressure plate 66 and the lower portions of the front wall 56 below the bore 5g (Figure 3).

The construction of the modified multiple article holder, generally designated 116, shown in Figures 4 and 5 is generally `similar to that of the multiple article holder of Figures 1 t0 3 inclusive, with the exception of the fact that the display holder 16 has been omitted together with the upper part of the retaining or guide plate 24. The lower part of the latter still remains, however, and performs the same function of retaining the article holders 114 in position. Due to the slight differences in construction and proportions, however, mostly diiferences in size or shape, the elements of the modified multiple article holder 11i) in Figures 4 and 5 have been given the same reference numerals, increased by 100, as the article holder 10 of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Thus, for example, the push button article holder support 12 of Figures 2 and 3 becomes the push button article holder support 112 of Figures 4 and 5, the individual article holders 14 of Figure l became the holders 114 of Figures 4 and 5, and so on. The plunger button 60 of rectangular cross-section of the iirst form of the invention (Figure 3) becomes the plunger button 160 of circular cross-section of Figures 4 and 5 and of larger diameter than the plunger 62 of Figure 3, hence designated 162 in Figure 5. The side walls 152 of the housing structure 154 Iare separate from and cemented to the top wall 156, for convenience of manufacture, in Figure 4, rather than be-ing integral with one another as lirl Figure 1. It will also be observed that the back plate 148 and pressure plate 166 of Figures 4 and 5 are slightly more elongated vertically than the corresponding back plate 4S and pressure plate 66 of Figures l, 2 and 3. Except for these changes, however, the construction remains substantially the same. To illustrate the versatlity of the present invention, only two individual article holders 114 have been mounted in the article holder support 112 of Figures 4 and 5, separated from one another by -a spacer plate 149. A notch 151 is formed in the lower edge of the article holder support 112 for receiving a suitable fastener, and the upper portion is provided with a fastener hole 153 for the same purpose. In addition, each of the article holders 114 in its back plate 148 is provided 'with a fastener hole 155 whereby the individual article holders 114 may be removed from the holder 112 and mounted individually against a wall, door frame, window frame or other suitable vertical structural member where it is not deemed necessary to mount them in plural or multiple yassembly `as in Figures l and 4, respectively.

In the operation of either form of the invention, the individual article holders 14 or 114 are slid into their respective -grooves ZS, or 123, 136 in their respective supports 12 or 112, and the supports 12 or 112 secured by suitable fasteners such as the screws 46 to the wall W. In the arrangement of Figure 1 using a fastener 46 through the back plate 48 of each of the outermost individual article holders 14, the entire device. 10 is not only held against the wall W but the intermediate article holders 14 are 'imprisoned between the thus fastened article holders 14 on the opposite ends.

To place an article A (Figures 3 and 5) in an individual article holder 14 or 114, the operator places his thumb or fingertip on .the push button 60 or 160 and pushes inward upon it, moving the pressure plate 66 or 166 awayy from the front wall or abutment member 56 or 156, at the same time compressing the compression spring 90 or 190 and opening up a widened gap G between the pressure plate 166 of the article holding clamp 76 or 17@ and the front wall 56 or 156. The user then inserts the upper end of the pot holder, dishcloth or other yarticle to be suspended in the widened gap G between the pressure plate 66 or 166 and the front wall 56 or 156, and then removes his finger from the push button 69 or 166. The force exerted by the compression spring 90 or 19t) then Vpushes the pressure plate 66 or 166 forward, clamping the article A between the pressure plate 66 or 166 and the front wall 56 or 156. The article A is released by pushing inward upon the push button or 166, reversing the yabove procedure.

What I claim is:

l. A multiple article holder adapted for mounting upon a supporting structure, comprising a generally plate shaped article holder support having ya horizontally-disposed guideway therein with parallel upper and lower guide grooves, a plurality of individual article holders disposed in approximately side-by-side arrangement, each having a housing with a generally plate-shaped back having parallel upper and lower edge portions slidably engaging said parallel upper and lower guide grooves of said guideway, and means on said article holder support for securing said article holder support to the supporting structure; each article holder having a forwardly-disposed abutment member, a rearwardly-disposed clamping member movable into and out of clam-ping relationship with said abutment member, `and a resilient member yieldingly urging said clamping member into clamping engagement with said abutment member.

Z. A multiple article holder, according -to claim l, wherein a push plunger is reciprocably mounted in said abutment structure and wherein an apertured rearward plunger guide member is removably mounted in said housing between said abutment mem-ber and said back, said rearward plunger guide structure being disposed in relative sliding engagement with said push plunger.

3. A multiple article holder, according to claim 2, wherein said housing has opposite side walls with detent notches therein and wherein said rearward plunger guide structure has detent projections releasably engaging said detent notches.

4. A multiple article holder, according to claim l, wherein the securing means includes fastener holes extending through the article holder support and also extending through the back of at least one of said article holders, said fastener holes being disposed in alignment with one another whereby to receive a common fastener extending `through both of said holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

